


Fitting First Words

by Crowdog



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Family, Family Fluff, First Words, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Humor, do not copy to other sites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-16 11:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21270539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crowdog/pseuds/Crowdog
Summary: When April is assigned to write a poem on the topic of first words for her AP English class, she hits a wall. She decides to ask her four new friends what their first words were and finds out they coincidentally all have very fitting ones for who they are today.However, Splinter acts a little weird when telling them the story of Leo's first word... as in he doesn't tell that story at all. Then again, April usually reads too much into things.





	Fitting First Words

April wasn't a poet. She did not find herself sitting on park benches in the middle of the day nibbling on the end of her pencil's eraser while watching people walk by, wondering what their story was or the greater meaning to life.

The only time April wrote poetry was when it had to be graded. Which was fine, she could usually piece together something and get an “A+.” She was for the most part well liked by her teachers, but this was AP English. While her middle school teachers might have let her get away with something less than her very best... Mr. Wieser was renowned as one of "the strict ones." Right up there with the cafeteria supervisors that would take away sodas from kids and give them detentions while there were bigger more unhealthy fish to fry like Andy Evans selling cigarettes out of his hollowed out graphing calculator.

Was she bitter? Maybe. Sulking for sure because now on top of her Trigonometry assignment ("only ten questions!" Mrs. Delmar chided when the whole class moaned. "But each question has a part A through G" a brave student among them had argued) she had to write a poem. A poem of all things.

The poem wasn't assigned that day, it was assigned on Monday and due Friday. She procrastinated slightly, seeing as it was nine o'clock on Thursday night and she hadn’t even started. She procrastinated so hard she did her Trigonometry homework first, and then cross checked her answers with Emily Hilaco on Discord. Then, well, she had to pack lunch for the next day (no soda). After that she had to eat dinner, do the dishes, clean up the kitchen, clean her room, vacuum the staircase and obviously organize the silverware drawer.

The clock ticked over to ten after nine. In ten minutes she had been only scribbled out "The Word That Shaped Me by April O'Neil". While there was no length requirement for the assignment, and while she could go the cheap route and make up something about her first word being "mom" (the second most common first word) and the absence of her mom... it would be disingenuous. A guaranteed “A” for sympathy but would she feel good about herself?

Was this the academic standard she was going to hold herself to?

The assignment didn't have to be her first words, the topic was just “first words.” It occurred to her this might be legitimate question to ask the guys. If anything it would be opportunity to get to know them a little more.

[][][][]

The Lair was active, her four unique friends and their father we're nocturnal. Her ten thirty at night was their mid-day. Raph was lifting weights with Leo spotting him, Mikey was planted in front of the television and Donnie was sitting in the pit with headphones on completely engrossed in his laptop.

"Hey guys" April said, surprising them. She usually wouldn't visit on school nights, unless she wanted to get dragged into some shenanigans that would have her in bed by two and a walking stick of limp celery the next day. "What are you up to?"

"Eating" Mikey said with his mouth full.

Donnie leveled a glare at him, pulling his headphones down to rest around his neck. The heavy beat of his music just audible. "We aren't in the middle of anything, what do you need April?"

She pulled a notepad out and took her pencil from behind her ear, "I was wondering what your first words were" she said.

"Why?" Mikey asked with his mouth even fuller than before.

"It's for a school assignment, I have to write a poem about either my first word or my friend’s first words and I'm stumped" she explained, resting her chin on her hand.

Both Mikey and Donnie put on pensive faces, Mikey's face emulated more of what a hamster with full cheeks would look like if asked a philosophical question. "I believe if I am remembering correctly my first word was boom" Donnie said scrunching his face up.

"You actually remember saying your first word?" April asked shocked. "How old were you?"

"Two. I was the last one to speak" Donnie said with a shrug. "Though I remember things from before then too, but I'm relatively certain it was boom."

"Fitting" April muttered rubbing her eyes.

Donnie chuckled nervously, "yeah I never thought about it, I guess it really does make sense. Though there is no research to support first words have an impact past developing speech. So it's purely coincidental."

"Well, you are correct Donatello your first word was boom, at age one and eleven months. After Leonardo microwaved an egg" Splinter mused seemingly popping in out of nowhere. He eyed the eldest who was now looking up at the ceiling.

"And what an important lesson I learned that day" Leo said as Raph lifted the bar back on its rest with a grunt.

"Oh what was my first word?" Mikey asked as Leo and Raph in varying degrees of exhaustion joined them. Leo sat in seiza on the floor and Raph collapsed onto the bench.

Splinter too, sat in seiza, a warm smile gracing his face. "Uh oh" he said.

"Oh of course" Raph muttered with an eye roll.

"If my memory is correct..." Splinter said slowly, "this was said after Leo and Raph fought over a coloring book and in the process it ripped it in half. Resulting in a tantrum from both of them."

"Wow" Mikey said turning to them both, "you guys were idiots."

Raph and Leo shared a glance. A bad glance. A united front glance that Mikey was blissfully unaware of.

“Michelangelo, you did attempt to eat the coloring book after your brothers ripped it up into such convenient bite sized pieces” Splinter said causing Mikey to shrink down a little.

"That is interesting, purely coincidental, but interesting that Mikey and I both have first words that echo who we are today" Donnie said. "What was Raph's first word?"

Splinter chuckled, "that may come as a surprise. Raphael your first word was a demand, I was holding Donatello after he fell and scraped his knee. This caused some jealousy, you grabbed my attention, pointed to me then yourself and screamed hug."

"Awwww" three brother's with a death wish cooed, standing up and heading towards a furiously blushing Raph.

"No get back!" he yelled as they piled on him.

"Raphie wants hugs" Mikey teased from somewhere under the mess of limbs.

Many threats to their well being later, Raph was released. He sat pouting with his arms crossed and his mask slightly askew. "You all suck!"

"I guess there goes the pattern about first words and who you are today" April said still laughing over Raph's complete disdain of hugs. Tough guy was too tough for hugs apparently.

His brothers laughed harder. "Trust me April" Leo said, laughing so hard he could barely speak, "hug is the most fitting first word for Raph."

"That's righ', laugh" Raph stewed. "What was Leo's first word?"

Splinter froze, his ears pointed back and his face fell before he smoothed his features over. "Father" he said quickly before standing up. "Well I must meditate. Do not stay too late April, it is a school night" he warned leaving the room quickly.

"Huh" Leo said looking around at his brothers.

"That makes sense because you're Splinter Junior" Raph said with a shit eating grin.

"Well that's four for four on our first words kind of being exactly what we are-" Mikey started.

"There is no evidence to support it though! There are too many variables" Donnie argued. "First words don't have a lasting impact on a person's character."

Checking her phone she realized it was going on eleven, "well thanks guys but I gotta go" she said putting her notepad away.

They said goodbye and wished her luck on her poem, she knew on her way back she would likely have to just make something up and hopefully get five hours of sleep.

Something did nag her though, about Leo's first word and how Splinter reacted. Then again, it was probably nothing.

[][][][]

While doing dishes, after he put his four very young sons to bed, he dropped a wet plate. The edge landed on his tail. This part of his being was still very new, only having a tail for about a year, a little less than that even.

Pain shot up his spine, akin to stubbing his pinky toe violently on something immovable. He grabbed his tail and shouted a few very colorful words, only to stop when he saw the oldest of his children, Leo, peeking his head through the curtain with wide nervous slate blue eyes. Scared of all the shouting.

"Leonardo" Splinter said tightly, trying to calm himself. He did not want to upset his son any further, "come here, it's alright."

Obediently Leo scampered forward. He had only started walking a month ago, often sneaking out after bed to wander around. Still learning to use his legs he made his way to Splinter who scooped him up. The pain in his tail now just a dull throb.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he asked, booping Leo lightly on the nose.

Leo balled his hands into the front of Splinter's robes, "Fuh" he said. "Fuh fuh fuh."

Immediately his heart clenched. His son was speaking, his son was trying to say his first words. He was never certain his turtle children were capable of speech, though Splinter often spoke to them hoping they would. "Fah-ther" Splinter enunciated slowly.

"Fuhhh" Leo tried again not really getting the "ah" sound correct.

"Father" Splinter said.

Determination spread over Leo's face, and pride swelled in Splinter's chest. The parenting milestone he never saw with his own daughter was happening, a memory he would cherish forever.

Leo looked up at Splinter, and said "fuck" right to his face.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Fanfiction is about being creative and sharing stories, so if this concept inspired you please feel free to use it!


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